2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Ghana
DiseaseHuman mpox
LocationGhana
Arrival date8 June 2022[1] – ongoing (1 year, 6 months, and 28 days)
DateJuly 27th, 2022
Confirmed cases34[2]
Suspected cases‡159
Deaths
1[3]
‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

The 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Ghana is a part of the larger outbreak of human mpox caused by the West African clade of the monkeypox virus. As opposed to its West African neighbours, Ghana had no endemic presence of mpox, only experiencing it during the 2022 outbreak. The first 5 cases of mpox in Ghana was detected on June 8, 2022.[1]

Background

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox)[4] is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals.[5] Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.[5] The illness is usually mild and most of those infected will recover within a few weeks without treatment.[6] The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from five to twenty-one days and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks.[7] Cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems.[8]

The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus,[lower-alpha 1] a zoonotic virus in the genus Orthopoxvirus. The variola virus, the causative agent of the disease smallpox, is also in this genus.[5] Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infected skin or body fluids, including sexual contact.[5] People remain infectious from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and healed.[8] It may spread from infected animals by handling infected meat or via bites or scratches.[8] Diagnosis can be confirmed by PCR testing a lesion for the virus' DNA.[5]

An ongoing outbreak of mpox was confirmed on May 6, 2022, beginning with a British resident who, after travelling to Nigeria (where the disease is endemic), presented symptoms consistent with mpox on April 29, 2022. The resident returned to the United Kingdom on May 4, creating the country's index case of the outbreak.[9] The origin of several of the cases of mpox in the United Kingdom is unknown. Some monitors saw community transmission taking place in the London area as of mid-May,[10] but it has been suggested that cases were already spreading in Europe in the previous months.[11]

Transmission

Stages of lesion development.

A large portion of those infected were believed to have not recently traveled to areas of Africa where mpox is normally found, such as Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as central and western Africa. It is believed to be transmitted by close contact with sick people, with extra caution for those individuals with lesions on their skin or genitals, along with their bedding and clothing. The CDC has also stated that individuals should avoid contact and consumption of dead animals such as rats, squirrels, monkeys and apes along with wild game or lotions derived from animals in Africa.[12]

In addition to more common symptoms, such as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and rashes or lesions, some patients have also experienced proctitis, an inflammation of the rectum lining. CDC has also warned clinicians to not rule out mpox in patients with sexually transmitted infections since there have been reports of co-infections with syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and herpes.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The World Health Organization (the authority on disease names) announced the new name "mpox" in November 2022. But virus naming is the responsibility of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), which is currently reviewing all orthopoxvirus species. As of March 2023, the official name of the virus remains "monkeypox virus".[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "5 cases of monkeypox confirmed in Ghana". MyJoyOnline.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Monkeypox declared a global emergency: Ghana records 34 cases across 6 regions". Ghana Fact. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "One person dead after contracting monkeypox". MyJoyOnline.com. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 "WHO recommends new name for monkeypox disease" (Press release). World Health Organization (WHO). 28 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "WHO Factsheet – Mpox (Monkeypox)". World Health Organization (WHO). 18 April 2023. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Monkeypox". GOV.UK. 24 May 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  7. ↑ "Mpox Symptoms". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 "Mpox (monkeypox)". World Health Organization. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Monkeypox – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". World Health Organization. 16 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Pinkstone, Joe (17 May 2022). "Monkeypox 'spreading in sexual networks'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Nsofor, Ifeanyi (2 June 2022). "OPINION: Media coverage of monkeypox paints it as an African virus. That makes me mad". NPR. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  12. ↑ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (7 June 2022). "US raises monkeypox alert level but says risk to public remains low". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Monkeypox update: Where the outbreak stands now".
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